New Beginnings
by wandyrir
Summary: Balance had been restored to the world. No more wars were to be fought. Will Team Avatar's adventures end right there?
1. The Start of Something New

"Grrrrrrh! Just give in! You won't win!" roared Korra, while gritting her teeth.

"We'll see about that," retorted Kuvira. She was now aiming the cannon right at Korra. Her hand slammed on the firing button and this had caused Korra to fall backwards from the tree that she was desperately clinging on to. She landed with a natural grace and rolled forward; fire shot out of her foot as she gave it her all towards reaching Kuvira's foot. _If only she could reach it…_ She felt something and she pulled down with might. While falling down, Kuvira fired again and this time purple streaks of pure energy blasted a semicircle in an upward motion. The night sky parted for one moment and for a moment, only white light was visible. Blinded by the piercing rays, both warriors fell to the ground and surrendered to the magnificence of the newly created spirit portal that was almost surreal.

Kuvira had slumped on to the ground, clearly hurt by the impact of the fall. Korra had not faltered at all. She had been through so much already when Zaheer tossed her around on the mountains. She had never felt so weak in her life after that traumatizing experience. After several months, three years of recovery, Korra regained her strength. The experience had empowered her, and Korra was now stronger than ever.

Seeing her opponent weakened, Korra wasn't about to let her enemy escape this time. However, instead of doing what she always had wanted to do, which was to have Kuvira on the ground, kowtowing to her presence, she took Kuvira's right arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. She then supported Kuvira's limp body out of the portal, the two walking side by side. It was almost as if they had never fought.

"Korra!" exclaimed Asami. "You're alright, thank goodness!" Tears of joy began to streak down the side of her face as she wrapped her arms around her friend, embracing in a manner as if she never wanted to let go again.

"Did you really think I wasn't going to win?" said Korra in her usual cocky manner. Asami smiled and looked deeply in to her friend's eyes.

"I thought you were really gone for a second… Thoughts of losing you overwhelmed my entire being… I could not imagine the idea of losing you. You are my entire world and without you, I would have no purpose in this life anymore." Asami went for a second embrace.

"I wouldn't know what to do either… If I had lost you."

 **Three weeks later:**

Asami wasn't stressed, for once in her life. Today was a day to be celebrated, a start of something new. Varrick and Zhu Li were to be wed in the evening. It was something unexpected but everyone seemed to approve of the new couple. After all of the recent events, the wedding was one of the only joyful events that was happening. That was why Asami had been so delighted upon receiving an invitation to the happy occasion.

"Hmmm… Which dress shall I wear? The red or the black?" mused the black-haired woman to herself. _Red is my favorite and my most charming color… Black would be too grim._ Wearing black would remind her of her father, who had sacrificed himself for the sake of defeating Kuvira. That was too painful a subject to touch upon so she decided on wearing red. After making her decision, she drove out the mansion towards Air Temple Island, where she was going to meet Korra for lunch.

Korra paced back and forth around her room. She was having a tough time deciding on a dress to wear to Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding. She stopped for a moment and started tapping her foot impatiently. _Which one would look the best?_ she wondered, for she secretly wanted to impress someone subconsciously. _Which one would Asami like the most?_ Korra had always _liked_ Asami, even though she never chose to admit it. To be honest, she had always been jealous of Asami. She envied the fact that she was always so quick-minded, beautiful, and charming, all at the same time. Perhaps now, instead of being jealous, she was beginning to harbor an inexplicable attraction towards her friend. Korra wasn't sure what it was about Asami that she liked; the engineer seemed to always have an admirable grace about her, captivating everyone that met her.

Finally making up her mind, Korra decided to go with the blue water tribe dress, the one that she had worn to Jinora's tattoo ceremony. _Asami seemed to like that dress_. Thoughts of Asami made Korra question some things about herself sometimes.

As she continued to daydream, someone knocked at the door. It was Asami, and she was now strolling in.

"Hey Korra! It's so nice to see you!"

The two women embraced briefly.

"You too! How have you been, you know… After what happened to your father." Korra looked into the now-saddened green eyes, with a concerned gaze.

"I'm alright… Can we please just not talk about it right now? Today's supposed to be a good day, and talking of my father would only ruin it. I just want to have a good time with you, okay?" Korra began to form a smile and agreed to let the subject go.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah." The two walked out the door and headed towards Asami's car.

They arrived at their designated destination in no time, thanks to Asami's incredible driving skills.

"That was delicious! Thank you for taking me out; that was a fun little date—er umm, fun time hanging out with you." Korra had pretended that eating lunch with Asami was a date. The two were now walking out the door.

"No problem! Hanging out with you is pretty great too," replied Asami with a genuine tone, causing a blush to form on Korra's face. "Come on now, we have a wedding to get ready for."

Asami drove Korra back to Air Temple Island to pick up her dress and then took the both of them back to her mansion. The two began getting ready together. Korra tried to looked away as Asami undressed but her will was not strong enough. Asami's body was a spectacular sight; her abdomen so alluring and her skin seeming so smooth, silky even. Embarrassed by her staring, Korra turned her head to the side for a second time. When she did so, Asami seemed to have realized that Korra was looking over at her. She blushed.

After finished putting on their dresses, Korra was unsure as to what to do. Asami was busy, busy applying make-up to her face. Korra decided to sit and wait patiently for her friend to finish. Ten minutes later, Asami was done and she now offered to stylize Korra's hair. Korra graciously accepted and sat down on a plush chair in the bathroom. Asami began to braid her friend's hair. _Korra looked gorgeous,_ thought Asami to herself. Her best friend was so beautiful and flawless. Asami always enjoyed Korra's presence and especially reveled in the moment they were having right now. She stroked through Korra's hair and Korra seemed to enjoy it.

"Done! Do you like it?" Korra, stared hard at the mirror in front of her, and her gaze weakened. She turned around, beaming at Asami.

"I love it, it's perfect. Thank you, for everything I mean. You've always been there for me, even after I got your father arrested, and I want you know that I appreciate you so much." Korra had meant every syllable she had just now uttered.

 _I love you,_ were the words Korra had so desperately wanted to say.

"It was hard to accept, but I knew that he had changed. He wasn't the loving man that he once was. I also want you know that I'll always be here for you, for anything I mean." As she finished replying, Asami went in for an tender embrace and kissed Korra on the cheek. Korra's heart fluttered for a moment and she held on more tightly to her friend. "Let's go now." Asami reached for Korra's hand and the pair walked out the door, hand in hand, both hearts beating in unison.


	2. The Wedding

**"** You guys finally made it! Are you ready for my speech?" shouted Bolin, while wiggling his eyebrows. The gesture made Asami giggle and she was quickly escorted to her seat by her kind, male friend. Just as Asami had hoped for, Korra's seat was adjacent to hers. The two sat down in a rapid manner, as the ceremony was already beginning to commence.

"Ha-ha! And though the battle took a severe toll on our beloved city, out of the destruction, love did bloom. So that is why, dearest friends and family, we gather today to celebrate the wondrous and at times inexplicable bond between Sir Varrick and the Lady Zhu Li!"

"Hey, pal **.** Camera on me." ordered Varrick. "This is my big day!"

"True love is a fickle creature, difficult to find, nearly impossible to tame, but Varrick and Zhu Li have proven that even the longest of long shots can have a chance at happiness together," explained Bolin to the audience. "Now for the vows! Thank you, master Pabu. Do you, sir Iknik Blackstone Varrick of the Southern water tribe, master of the high seas, take the lady Zhu Li Moon to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you promise to treat her not as your assistant but as your honored and cherished partner?"

"You're darn tootin' I do!" replied Varrick eagerly, already impatient to marry Zhu Li.

"And do you, Zhu Li, take Varrick to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to care for him in sickness and in health, and and also scrub his calluses on a bi-weekly basis, which isn't really that much to ask Okay, I'm not reading all this." The audience burst out into laughter.

"I do take Varrick, calluses and all."

"You may now do the thing." After the last word was uttered, Zhu Li swept Varrick off his feet, causing him to fall on her. They locked lips in a passionate kiss. Varrick began to cry as the audience clapped and roared for the newly-wed couple.

Asami's heart began to swell. All of the love in the air had warmed her heart and took away some of the pain in her father's death. As she looked around, her head turned towards Korra, and she felt a deep yearning for her friend. Korra had gotten up to talk to Mako and Prince Wu. While continuing to gaze at her friend, Asami realized that Korra was more than a friend to her. The idea of losing Korra was almost as worse as losing her father. _No, it would hurt even more._ After nearly losing Korra, Asami was determined never to let her go again. A plan immediately began to formulate inside her head. She would tell Korra how much she meant to her and how much she loved her.

Korra had finished chatting with Mako and was now headed towards the pavilion. As Asami was just about to walk towards Korra, Tenzin arrived before she did. He soon began to chat with Korra. _I'll just have to think of something to get Tenzin to leave._ After a couple of minutes, Asami was ready to have her plan executed.

"Excuse me, Tenzin. Varrick is looking for you. Something about wanting to borrow a glider suit to fly off the tower."

"That doesn't seem like a good idea." Tenzin's brows quickly furrowed as he quickly strode away, leaving Asami alone with Korra. _Wow, that actually worked,_ thought Asami to herself.

"Want to sit with me for a minute? I'm not ready to get back to the party just yet." Korra gestured for Asami to come closer and patted on the place next to her. "I don't think I ever really apologized."

A puzzled expression began to form on Asami's face.

"For what?"

"For being gone all that time. For not coming back sooner."

"You don't need to apologize for anything. I'm just so happy you're here now. I don't think I could have handled losing you and my father in the same day." Asami had meant every word she had said. She didn't blame Korra for anything. In fact, she was very grateful for Korra, for everything that she had done. She had revealed the truth about her father. She had uncovered that the life that she had been living with her father had been a lie.

"I am so sorry about what happened."

"Thank you. I'm just glad I was able to forgive him." There was a silent pause.

"So what now? Back to the dance floor? I'm kind of all danced out."

"Honestly, after everything that's happened the past few months, I could use a vacation."

"Let's do it." affirmed Korra, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "Let's go on a vacation, just the two of us, anywhere you want." Korra could not believe at what was happening. This was what she had wanted for what had felt like an eternity.

"Really? Okay." A break was definitely something Asami wanted. _Korra_ , was what she wanted. "I've always wanted to see what the spirit world's like."

"Sounds perfect."

After bidding their farewells and congratulating the newly-weds again, Korra and Asami departed. The drive was a long one. Finally arrived, the two eagerly hopped off the Sato-mobile. The two women walked towards the iridescent pillar of violet and white lights, both women bedazzled by its surreal beauty. Even more so, they were enchanted by the thought of spending time with the other. Things looked brighter, more illuminating than ever, as the pair took their first step into the magical spirit world.


	3. Spirit Vacation

"It's even more beautiful than I had imagined!" Asami gasped, for she had never seen such a breathtaking view. They were standing on top of a azure cliff surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of colorful spirits. Flying masses of different vivacious hues swirled around the area where they stood.

"This is where I come when I need some time alone. When I need to clear my head and relax, I meditate and end up here."

"Thank you for showing me this place; it must be a very special place of yours." Korra nodded and then placed her hands on top of Asami's. _Her hands are trembling._ Asami's hands were warm and a lot less shaky than Korra's. _What does she want to tell me?_

 _"'_ Sami, I have something to confess _."_ Korra glanced nervously at Asami. _Is this what I think it is?._ "I don't know whether or not I should tell you," continued Korra, her eyes aimed at Asami's bright green eyes with a shaky stare. "I don't want this to ruin our friendship…" _You won't, keep going._ The conversation was beginning to strain.

"I-I umm, love you." Korra's deep blue eyes pierced into the hopeful green eyes. "I have been in love with you for a while now; I didn't tell you because I didn't want this to ruin our friendship. It's okay if you don't—-umm-feel the same way, I'll be fine—"

"I love you too." Those three words rang loudly and it was as if time had stopped. Those words echoed through Korra's mind and she could hardly believe what she had just heard.

"What?" inquired Korra, wanting to make sure that she heard what she had thought she heard. _What she had hoped to hear._

 _"_ I love you too." This time, Korra believed what she had heard. She was jubilated, overjoyed by the fact that her feelings had been returned. She grinned at Asami and lifted her friend up and spun her around in a circle.

"Wow. Just wow. This is amazing!" They kept spinning and spinning until Asami requested for Korra to put her down.

"I'm… I'm just a little bit dizzy." Korra chuckled and apologized. "I was a little afraid that I was going to be thrown off the canyon."

"You really think that I would let my best friend, the love of my life—well, current life, and soulmate be tossed off a mountain? Who do you think I am?!"

"Love of your life, eh?" A delightful laugh reverberated from Asami's throat. "Well, I'm proud to be your girlfriend. This time, not as in friends. Girlfriend, as in way more than friends." Hearing this, Korra's spirits flew high in to the sky.

"So what next, for the dynamic power duo?!" mimicked Korra in the voice of the pro-bending announcer, causing Asami to laugh. Korra sure loved to hear that laugh. They continued to wander around the mountain aimlessly.

"Well, we still have our vacation to go on," stated Asami, in her matter-of-fact tone.

"Let's do something fun then!" shouted Korra. She whistled and a golden, dragon-like bird flew down from the sky and landed majestically in front of them. Korra yanked on Asami's hand and practically threw her on to the creature's back.

"Are you sure, this is safe? I've never rode on a dragon before—whoa!" The phoenix began to move its wings in a down-up down-up motion, creating a dust storm below them. Like a rocket, it tunneled its way in to the sky and Asami hung on for dear life. They summersaulted several times, looped in oblique loops, and spiraled through the fuchsia sky.

"Wow, I'm exhausted," breathed Asami after hopping off the phoenix. "But that was an incredible experience, a once in a lifetime experience! What made it even better, was having you with me, Korra."

"Me too," replied Korra as a smile began to radiate from her face. "We should probably find some shelter now. It's nighttime in the physical world." The sun had begin to set and the moon's head was beginning to emerge in the starry night sky. The two women continued to hike for a while up the side of the cliff and found another high point.

"Would you like to stop here? I mean, I could make us a rock shelter or something and also a fire. I am the Avatar after all, haha." Before the drained Asami could reply, a mysterious figure walked out behind a big boulder.

"Stand back! Stop right there!" shouted Korra loudly to the cloaked figure who continued to make their way to the couple. Pulling their hood back, the strange figure soon revealed himself to be Iroh. "Iroh? It's so good to see you!"

"I'm very glad to have stumbled upon you as well! And hello Asami, Korra has told me a lot about you, the last time we chatted." Iroh eyed the young woman, making Asami uncomfortable, and shifting slightly in her stance. "Are you looking for a place to stay? If so, then you can come with me. Right this way." Iroh pointed to a path that had somehow just magically appeared and led the way. The trio continued for about some several minutes until they arrived at a desolate courtyard. Spirits were the only visible figures. Clusters of flowers and vines graced the walls of the cracked walls, while spirit butterflies constantly flew on and off of them. Asami went ahead and explored her novel surroundings while Korra stayed behind with Iroh to bid him goodnight.

"It's beautiful. Thank you Iroh."

"You're welcome. Korra, I have to warn you of something. The ones closest to you may not be who they appear to be. A powerful group of spirits remain loyal to Vaatu. Their mission is to sabotage you and trap you here in the spirit world. For, without the light of Raava, there is only darkness. I do not know how they plan to do this, but you must be careful. Please, heed my warning."

"I will, Iroh. Thank you, again." Korra quickly ran ahead to catch up with Asami.

"Ready for bed?" asked Asami in a sultry voice.

"You bet I am." The pair quickly raced to their bedroom and shut the door. The night never truly ended.


End file.
